Policy
PARENT INVOLVEMENT IN EDUCATION
Code
KB Issued 6/09
Purpose: To establish the board’s vision for the involvement of parents and families in the
education of their children.
The board believes that parent and family involvement must be pursued and supported by homes,
schools/colleges/universities, communities, businesses, faith congregations, organizations and
government entities by working together in a collaborative effort.
The board believes it can impact student achievement by improving the quality and quantity of
parent/family involvement in the education of their children.
Therefore, the board commits to the following.

Seeing that each school establishes a comprehensive parent involvement program that
includes parent education programs and activities that will assist parents and families in
supporting classroom learning.

Providing support and coordination for staff and parents and families to make family
involvement in education a priority.

Establishing effective, two-way communication between all parents and families and schools
that respects the diversity and differing needs of families and encourages the development of
mutual support between home and school.

Seeing that each school develops effective school planning/management teams that involve a
broad spectrum of families, staff and community representatives in school governance and
decision making at the local and statewide level.

Recognizing that improved student achievement must be an equally shared responsibility and
ultimate goal of parents and families, teachers, the school system as a whole and the
community at large.
Parent involvement (2000 Parent Involvement in Their Children’s Education Act)
Responsibilities of board
In order to heighten awareness of the importance of parent and family involvement in the
education of their children throughout their schooling, encourage the establishment and
maintenance of parent-friendly school settings and emphasize parent/school partnerships to
assure a child’s academic success, the board will do the following.

Consider joining national organizations that promote and provide technical assistance on
various proven parental involvement frameworks and models.

Incorporate, where possible, proven parental involvement practices into existing policies and
efforts.

Provide parental involvement orientation and training through staff development.

Provide incentives and formal recognition for schools that significantly increase parental
involvement as defined by the state board of education.
Greenwood County School District No. 52
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
Require an annual report on school and district parental involvement programs including
evaluations of the success of the programs.

Include parental involvement expectations as part of the superintendent’s evaluation.
Responsibilities of superintendent
The superintendent will do the following.

Include parental involvement expectations as part of each principal’s evaluation.

Include information about parental involvement opportunities and participation in the
district’s annual report.

Disseminate parental expectations as defined by law to all parents of the district.
The superintendent may also designate staff to serve as parent liaisons for the district, require
each school to designate a faculty contact for parental involvement efforts, require each principal
to designate a materials and resource space within the school specifically for parents and
encourage principals to adjust class and school schedules to accommodate parent-teacher
conferences more conveniently.
Parent involvement (No Child Left Behind Act of 2001)
The board also recognizes the special importance of parental involvement to the success of its
Title I, Migrant (MEP), and Limited English Proficiency (LEP) programs. Pursuant to federal
law, the district and parents will jointly develop and agree upon a written parental involvement
policy that will be distributed to parents participating in any of these programs.
In keeping with these beliefs, it is the intention of the district to cultivate and support active
parental involvement and to set and realize goals for parent-supported student learning. The
district will do the following.

Provide activities that will educate parents regarding the intellectual and developmental
needs of their children at all age levels. This will include promoting cooperation between the
district and other agencies or school/community groups (such as parent-teacher groups, Head
Start, First Steps, etc.) to furnish learning opportunities and disseminate information
regarding parenting skills and child/adolescent development.

Implement strategies to involve parents in the educational process, including the following.

-
keeping families informed of opportunities for involvement and encouraging
participation in various programs
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providing access to educational resources for parents/families to use together with their
children
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keeping families informed of the objectives of district educational programs as well as of
their child’s participation and progress within these programs
Enable families to participate in the education of their children through a variety of roles. For
example, family members should be given opportunities to do the following.
-
Provide input into district policies.
Volunteer time within the classrooms and school programs.
Greenwood County School District No. 52
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
Provide professional development opportunities for teachers and staff to enhance their
understanding of effective parent involvement strategies.

Perform regular evaluations of parent involvement at each school and at the district level.

Provide access, upon request, to any instructional material used as part of the educational
curriculum.

If practicable, provide information in a language understandable to parents.
Title I parent involvement
The board recognizes that parent involvement is vital to achieve maximum educational growth
for students participating in the district’s Title I program. Therefore, in compliance with federal
law and state department of education guidelines, the district will meet with parents to provide
information regarding their school’s participation in the Title I program and its requirements.
The superintendent will ensure equivalence among schools in teachers, administration and other
staff and in the provisions of curriculum materials and instructional supplies.
The board directs the superintendent to ensure that each of the district’s schools participating in
the Title I program meet annually. Parents/Legal guardians of participating students will be
informed of their right to be involved in the development of the district’s parental involvement
policy, overall Title I plan and school-parent compact.
The district will, to the extent practicable, provide full opportunities for the participation of
parents with limited English proficiency, parents with disabilities, parents of homeless students
and parents of migratory students. In cooperation with parents, the district’s policy, plan and
compact will be reviewed annually and updated periodically to meet the changing needs of
parents and the school and distributed to parents of participating students in an understandable
and uniform format and, to the extent practicable, in a language the parents can understand.
The superintendent will develop administrative regulations, as necessary, to implement this
policy and meet the requirements of law.
Migrant Education Program (MEP) parent involvement
Parents/Legal guardians of students in the MEP will be involved in and regularly consulted about
the development, implementation, operation and evaluation of the program.
Parents/Legal guardians of MEP students will receive instruction regarding their role in
improving the academic achievement of their children.
Limited English Proficient (LEP) parent involvement
Pursuant to federal law, parents of LEP students will be provide notification regarding their
child’s placement in and information about the district’s LEP program.
Parents/Legal guardians will be notified of their rights regarding program content and
participation.
Greenwood County School District No. 52
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South Carolina Education and Economic Development Act (EEDA)
Parental participation is an integral component of the clusters of study system mandated by the
EEDA.
Beginning with students in the sixth grade and continuing through high school, each school will
schedule annual parent counseling conferences to assist parents/legal guardians or individuals
appointed by the parents/legal guardians and their children in making career choices and creating
individual graduation plans. These conferences must include, but not be limited to, the following.



assisting the student in identifying career interests and goals
selecting a cluster of study and an academic focus
developing an individual graduation plan
A mediation process that includes parent advocates must be developed, explained and made
available for conferences upon the request of the parent/legal guardian or the student.
The district may provide guidance and counseling sessions during hours that are not typically
part of the workday, such as in the evenings or on Saturday.
Cf. IG, IGCA, IHAK, IHAQ, IHBC, IHCA, IKF, JLD, KBB
Adopted 10/10/00; Revised 6/9/09
Legal references:
A. Federal law:
1. No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, P.L. 107-110 - Sections 1111- 1120B.
B. S.C. Code of Laws, 1976 as amended:
1. Sections 59-28-100 through 59-28-220 - Parental Involvement in Their Children’s Education Act.
2. Section 59-139-90 - Strategic plans to include stated goals and objectives for parent involvement.
3. Section 59-59-160 - South Carolina Education and Economic Development Act; parental
participation, annual parent counseling conferences.
C. State Board of Education Regulations:
1. R43-205 - Administrative and professional personnel qualifications, duties and workloads.
2. R43-234 - Defined program, grades 9-12.
D. South Carolina State Department of Education:
1. South Carolina Education and Economic Development Act Guidelines (2006).
Greenwood County School District No. 52